Mets-Twins finale

The game is obviously underway. Not much went on during pregame. The only thing of note was the arrive of Rickey Henderson, the team’s special instructor. He’s been brought in on a “special assignment” alright. The Mets essentially invited him to hang around the team in hopes it will loosen the mood during this recent stretch.

Henderson is the perfect guy. If you don’t know what I mean, Google: “Rickey Henderson” 1999 NLCS poker. It should refresh your memory.

Rickey Ledee in the lineup. Oliver Perez on the mound. The Mets looking to get this turned around before another playoff team from last year rolls into town.

Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Drop me a line.

Weird note of the night: The scoreboard just flashed a note that said “The Mets won a World Series before they ever won an Opening Day game.” Wow, we can all move on with our lives now.

Update, 9:40: We’re about two innings away from another dull, lifeless, uninspiring loss for the Mets. That would give us 14 losses in 18 June games. Oliver Perez pitched decently but didn’t get much support. His fat fastball to Torii Hunter wasn’t exactly the best location, either. And let me say, the seven worst words announced at Shea right now are: “Now pitching for the Mets, Scot Schoeneweis.” It’s really getting out of hand with him. The worst part is that he was a terrific setup man with the Angels and nobody could have forseen this sort of drop-off. But hey, the Twins are a quality team, so what can you do? By the way, I wrote a message like this a few weeks ago, just before the Mets went into the ninth inning against the Cubs down by four. Anyone remember what happened?

John Delcos enters his third season covering the Mets for The Journal News after eight seasons on the Yankees beat. Prior to coming to New York, John covered the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians.

JL,
Don’t laugh. I’d bet Rickey and Julio are still two of the strongest and most fit guys in the room. Head to head, I’d probably go with Julio, who’d obviously only be able to take Rickey down the opposite way.

BH,
Trading for a reliever is a fine idea. Firing Rick Down won’t do anything. I believe hitting coaches are overrated sometimes.

I think the stats that show the number of walks in the last 15 games or so as compared to the beginning of the season basically tell the story. That kind of difference can’t be attributed to random fluctuation. The walk rate for the team has taken a dive. The Mets are pressing plain and simple. And its not working. Eventually it will click. Not at the same time with each player but each player will realize that you can’t make a good outcome happen. When the pressing fails enough times they will resign themselves to just trying to get a good pitch to hit and putting a good swing on it.

In truth I find this stat reassuring. To me it proves that the Mets are playing way beneath their potential. All of this worry that maybe they aren’t really as good as we thought is, I believe, wrong. They will turn it around. Exactly when I don’t know. But it won’t be another 20 games of this. It won’t be too long.

The last thing the Mets need right now is sage advice from a self-absorbed “special instructor” who pouts and stomps his feet when he doesn’t get his way. Ricky Henderson may be listed in the Mets Media Guide as ‘special instructor’ and he may be the reigning champ of MLB stolen bases, but his true colors were on full display as a Met in the ‘99 playoffs vs the Braves in Game 6. After manager Bobby Valentine lifted him late in the game, Ricky and teammate Bobby Bonilla escaped to the clubhouse to play cards (that’s what I said—to play cards) ignoring the last 3 innings of the game instead of in the dugout supporting their teammates who were attempting to erase the 3-games-to-0 deficit the Braves put them in.

In case you don’t remember, this game was crucial and the Mets having bounced back and won Games 4 and 5 were battling to be the first team to come from a 3-0 deficit to win a postseason series. The Braves would eventually win Game 6 amidst the ignorance of the two ‘clubhouse card sharks’ who continued to play even after the saddened Mets entered the clubhouse at game’s end. What a nice picture! One that, as a Met fan, I will never forget.

So despite his illustrious career, I believe Ricky Henderson’s services would best be suited elsewhere. It was a mistake to have him rear his ugly head at Mets Spring Training and it surely would be a disservice to the Mets and all Mets fans to allow him to participate with them now-or ever. Any help that Reyes or Gomez might glean from his experience would best be obtained from tapes or other sources, and unless Willie wants his two speedsters to learn the art of team ignorance or how to deal from the bottom of a deck of cards, Henderson’s the wrong man for the job. -LeHe